The mother and girlfriend of a Smith Falls, Ont. man who was swept out to sea at Peggys Cove last year made a stop at the iconic tourist site on the one-year anniversary of his death.
Jamie Quattrocchi had been standing on the rocks with his girlfriend, Brittany Smith, near the water’s edge when a rogue wave struck on April 22, 2015.
READ MORE: Search ends for 25-year-old Ontario man swept into ocean off Peggys Cove, N.S.
“They were standing, observing the ocean on a pink rock and had been standing there for quite a few minutes and watching small waves come in and suddenly a rogue wave came and was over Jamie’s head and took him out into the ocean,” said his mother, Caroline Quattrocchi.
Despite the attempts of bystanders and a search by emergency officials, the 25-year-old was never found.
On the anniversary of his death, Smith and Quattrocchi made the trip from Ontario to Halifax to shed light on the dangers of the rocks.
“It’s hard but I feel closer to him when I’m here,” Smith told reporters while holding back tears.
“I just want to see changes made so that it doesn’t happen to anybody else.”
The family has been working with the province, which created a task force team with members of the community and local organizations, to come up with ideas on how to prevent similar accidents.
“We’re happy to be here knowing that Jamie didn’t die in vain and that we are advocating for making a difference so that his life is a bit of a legacy in that we hope other people don’t have to live the tragedy that we live,” Quattrocchi said.
In the past couple of weeks, 20 bright yellow warning signs have been posted at the site warning about the dangers of walking on the slippery black rocks, which are closest to the water.
READ MORE: N.S. government taking steps to improve safety at Peggys Cove
Additional measures will be in place by the busy May long weekend, including a social media education campaign and interpretive panels inside the visitor’s centre. As well, tour bus operators will be sharing safety information during the ride to the site.
The Sou’Wester Restaurant will also be installing rock barriers around the parking lot in an effort to guide visitors towards the new warning signs.
“Peggys Cove is … the single location with the highest number of visitors and with that, it presents risks,” said Business Minister Mark Furey, who is also the minister responsible for Tourism Nova Scotia.
Quattrocchi says she hopes the province will continue to review the safety change at the tourist site in the years ahead as the needs change and believes additional measures may be needed, including life-saving equipment nearby in case someone does fall in the water.
The two women also presented a cheque for $7,500, which was raised by Jamie’s friends, to the Nova Scotia Lifesaving Society in his memory.